Caldwell, the stone-wall city, the last bastion of humanity in a wilderness. An impenetrable fortress amongst the trees. The city was a bit exaggerated to say the least. It was impressive to be sure, but only being on Floor 5 it was hardly the epitome of a grand city. Compiled of old Victorian-era styled buildings and cobbled streets it stood in stark contrast to the traditional scheme of things, one of the few locations in Aincrad that took after London's history. Two and three storied houses lined the wide streets, and shops as well as taverns dotted the area to boot. Being one of the earlier cities its protected expanse was filled with players and NPCs alike, each hurrying about on their schedules for the day. No matter where you went in the city it seemed there was a flock of people gathered, either bartering, eating, or simply enjoying a pleasant day. Virtual or not, the city seemed very much alive, no one could deny that.

Amongst the throes of passerby and players sat a pair of friends on a bench, catching their breath after a training session. Miyamoto Hiro, better known by his handle as Suto, was leaning back on the seat, arms sprawled out across the back casually. He was staring up at the sky absentmindedly, watching the clouds drift by idly with a mindless smile plastered on his lips. "Hey... That one sort of looks like a rabbit..." he mused, reaching over and tapping his friend's shoulder before pointing to the sky. A breeze disrupted the cloud, tarnishing its shape into nothingness and making Suto sigh in response. Pushing himself into an upright sitting position he instead slouched over, resting his arms over his knees with a grin. "I really wish we got more Col from all of that work... Those dang wolves and foxes had nothing on them..." On a whimsical thought he gazed down at the floor, brow pulling together. Where in the heck did animals put the money anyways? He knew it was a game and it was all coded, but putting it in realistic terms...

"Wow! My mind just went places..." he laughed, shaking his head. Raising a hand he scratched at his forehead, glancing up at the red strap he had tied around his forehead to hold back his bangs. "When do you suppose we ought to go meet the others? It's been a few hours now, they've got to be awake."

Alexander Watanabe, better known as Fitch, had been slouched on the bench, appearing very drowsy. His eyes drooped and he could feel the mid-morning nap coming on. The sun and the environment of Caldwell made him sleepy... then again, there were countless things that had such an affect on him. He wore a crimson leather jacket with dark blue and black feathers at the shoulders with a black shirt beneath and dark blue jeans. He had removed his gloves, but left the combat boots he had worn to their outing. His shield was tucked away in his inventory, but he had a steel longsword at his left hip which he had obtained with relative ease at a shop owned by an NPC on this floor.

As his shoulder was tapped, the boy's eyes opened and he turned his head groggily, "Hm? Oh, uh..." His head finally tilted back as the cloud disappated. There was a small laugh as Hiro spoke once more and he shook his head, "If I remember right, money is really hard to rake in unless you get a rare mob... The odds are extremely slim. I heard there's some kid who's already been hunting them out... Heard about it from the one who made me this jacket, actually - said he had more feathers for sale than she'd bought since Floor Four opened up. I can't remember his name though... Hmph... Whatever... Actually, from as far as I got in the beta, I saw that money was harder to gather from combat early on."

"What are you two doing?" Rang a familiar voice from behind. It didn't take long for Mizuki Yukimura, or Yari as the other denizens of Aincrad knew her, to reveal herself and cross her arms. In Sword Art Online, she dressed quite a bit more liberally than she had before being trapped in the game. Not that she was wearing extremely revealing clothes, but her white top was cut low in the back, oddly revealing her shoulder blades. As the fabric came together behind her, it turned to a deep violet and wrapped around her waist, accompanied by an open-front skirt overtop of black tight pants.

"You know, I expected this of you, Fitch... But Hiro, how could you leave us behind just to get in more training?" She asked with a chastising tone. She was soon joined by the newest addition to their team, the only other girl currently, "What should we do with these two?"

"They look pretty tired, I dunno..." Luna replied, looking between the two boys. "I'd say if they want to slink off on us though then send them back out for something. That'll teach them to run around behind our backs." Lynn Carter, as her real name was, held the two friends in her blue gaze. Her long btown hair fell to just beneath her shoulderblades, tied back in a ponytail to keep it out of her eyes. Unlike the others she still bore her typical combat clothing, a brown vest that was always buttoned up tight, covering everything to just below her navel. On her shoulders sat a green cowl, the hood hanging freely across her back, and a set of leather armguards on either arm for extra protection. Each hand had fingerless leather gloves for ease of use, matching the leather boots secured around her feet. A tanned cloth skirt hung around her hips, tied on tight by a thick cowhide belt.

Suto looked up between Yari and Luna before smiling sheepishly, raising his hands in a defensive manner. "Now now ladies... Come on. We just got back, there's no reason to send us back out just yet!" he replied, chuckling nervously. When Luna slammed her hands down on the back of the bench he let out a soft yelp, edging away and biting his lip before looking over at Alex. "It was his idea! Don't blame me!"

"Like I'm going to believe that Suto. You're the one who can't sit still for five minutes, I know you're the one who wanted to go out." Luna stood upright and rolled her eyes, laying her hands on her hips. "Seriously... We're supposed to be a team you guys, and that means not going on secret training sessions like this." she said, holding out a finger and giving each boy a testy stare. "What if one of you gets hurt? Or you bite off more than you can chew? We need to stick together, that's the whole reason we're a party, isn't it?"

"Well... Yeah, but I mean how bad can one little training session be?" Again a nasty glare shut Suto up right quick. Frowning to himself he pressed his index fingers together, lowering his gaze awkwardly for a silent moment. Man, Luna could seriously be a killjoy sometimes. He knew she meant well, or he liked to think so, but did she have to be so hard on them? "How about we split a bit of the Col we made and we call it even? Because I REALLY don't feel like getting up for at least another ten minutes..."
As Hiro and Luna quipped back and forth, Fitch was only smiling dazedly, his eyes resting on Yari's. The other two wouldn't notice as she blushed and looked away, stifling a giggle and shaking her head, "I swear... you two and your fighting... If I didn't know better, I'd say you had feelings for each other." She teased, taking a seat on the bench beside Fitch, her hands in her lap. "Oh, that will never do, Hiro... We share money anyway. Maybe not as a guild does, but you know as well as I do if any of us need cash, we all work together for it. So that's not going to work - we're both smarter than that," She pointed out.

The spear-user tapped her chin thoughtfully, "I suppose... We could let it go... I mean, after all, you're not the first to do this, I'm sure... Kenshin splits off fairly often and I know... Well, honestly, Fitch and I have gone before... and I know that you and I have, Luna, so it's only fair that these two get their 'guy time...' or whatever it is that boys do." Though she didn't dare say it, Yari had thought to herself about how very little training actually occured during her and Fitch's outings, as they always happened upon a nice safe zone in the forest or ended up clearing gout an area too quickly and just enjoyed one another's company.

"I suppose one time we can let it slide..." She said, looking to Luna with a smile, "We are a party after all."

"Hey, speaking of Kenshin... wasn't he going to meet us here today too?" Fitch spoke up finally, sitting up and placing his arms along the back of the bench, where it would rest behind Yari and Hiro both.

Just as Fitch had finished speaking, the last member of the team walked up the cobbled street. He was a tall, thin boy with long jet-black hair. The kind of person who would usually stumble over their own long limbs when walking. Kenshin Takami was blessed to have been born without this natural gawkiness, though, and walked with a natural grace that gave the illusion of water flowing gently. This grace was offset by the clear unease he felt at being in such a bustling environment. Kenshin skirted carefully around larger groups of players and NPCs and went far out of his way to avoid touching or making eye contact with anyone, his hand never straying far from the hilt of the curved sword worn on his left hip. The scabbard was held on a long belt of braided black leather that looped from Kenshin’s hip, up around his chest, and over his right shoulder. Unlike the vast majority of players, Kenshin also wore his full battle armor in town. It consisted of black dress pants, not unlike those of a military dress uniform, and a black vest studded with small metal plates worn over a high-collared crimson tunic. A recently acquired black leather duster finished off the ensemble. On any similarly tall man, the whole getup would be rather intimidating and contrarily suave. With Kenshin behaving as awkwardly as he was, the whole thing just looked ridiculous.
After weaving his way through the bustling crowd, Kenshin eventually came up to Luna, Yuri, Fitch, and Suto. Kenshin stopped a short distance and nervously shifted from foot to foot.
“Hey guys, sorry I’m late. I got here a couple of hours early and decided to go do some solo hunting. Sorry I didn’t invite any of you, but I figured you were all kinda busy… In any event, do any of you know what to do with uhhh…,” Kenshin swiped his left hand through the air and opened his inventory, “some… orcskin, scrapmetal, or ‘plain stone’? ‘Cause I got those while hunting. Oh, and 65 col. I guess that’s something like 13 col per person? Now I’m rambling. Sorry. I’ll stop now. Sorry.”
Kenshin looked away from the group, a slow flush creeping up his neck. Without glancing back, he walked over to a tall, wrought-iron, gas-burning lamp next to the bench where the others sat. Only then did he raise his gaze to peek through his hair at his partymates.

Fitch raised an eyebrow as Kenshin's voice approached them and he began to ramble. He covered his mouth as he smiled and Yari just nudged him and gave him a stern look, turning to Kenshin. "It's okay, Kenshii," She said, having quickly adopted the petname for him, mostly to tease him. "Fitch and Suto did the same thing without telling the rest of us... We know you like to push yourself, just be careful," She commanded sternly, resisting the urge to smile. The girl huffed, thinking, before Fitch stepped into the conversation.

"Orcskin is a basic material for the very earliest of gloves... You probably remember we got some on the second floor, near the middle of the floor, but it was a bit rarer back then. I'm positive that that's just a basic tier, though, because there are orcs on slightly higher floors that drop things like 'orchide' - which is just a little bit better, to be honest, but it is different - and orcscales, which one might think are scales off of the orc, but they're pieces of scale armour made out of this... orc metal stuff... It's a pretty good metal - it makes some of the weapons and armour with a really high durability; however, it's not very keen on strength. It's heavy and... Yeah, I'm rambling, sorry. The scrapmetal only for selling, as far as the beta testers found... and plain stone is a cheap thrown weapon. Pretty good idea to hold onto - they stack and you can use them to get the aggro on a mob by dealing the first hit if you just throw them. They're a basic, though pretty heavy, thrown weapon. Really weak, but more of a tool than damage-dealer," he explained without much hesitation. Yari looked at him, perplexed, it was like he was a walking database of items on these early floors. He knew more about the items than the descriptions might provide and he didn't even have to rack his brain.

She merely laughed and shook her head, "Guess that's that, then huh? Keep your money, Kenshin. These two are going to - we all make our fair share. We don't need to do the math to split it all, if anybody needs something, then we'll figure out funding," The girl chirped, She then turned to see the tower in the distance, a small flicker of adventure alight on her face. To others, it was daunting and part of the trap of the game, but she couldn't help that sense of curiosity. With that thought, she stood up, clapped her hands together and nodded, "Alright, let's gear up and go, okay, guys? I know you three just got back, but we already agreed to go out today, all together, so come on, you're not getting any more of a break. You'll be fine until tonight, anyway," She said firmly, placing a hand on her hip and opening her window. Different parts of her body flashed as light metal equipment began to appear over her topped by a basic double-ended spear of a brilliant silvery steel followed finally by a similar tiara with a bright blue gem in the middle. She didn't like how flashy it was, but it gave her a small DEX boost and she didn't want to give that up until something better came.

"The field boss is bound to be attacked tomorrow, I'm pretty sure the meeting is tonight, if you guys are interested. Apart from that, we've got the jungle for the rest of the day with whatever hunting parties are out, so where do you guys want to start?"

"Excuse me? Me and this... Layabout as a couple?" Luna asked, huffing before crossing her arms, giving Yari a glare. "I'd never be caught dead with someone like him! He's undisciplined, and loud, and too hyperactive." In the next second the reality of it being a tease dawned on her, making her face burn a bright red. Still staring down Mizuki she turned her head away, narrowing her eyes. What a ludicrous idea, her and Hiro. Shifting her eyes to the corners she looked at the boy who was giving his friends something absurd about sharing money. He was just too soft, and honestly she saw him as weak. So far he'd managed sure, but in a world as unforgiving as Aincrad that was bound to get you killed. There was lightening up and then there was being a wimp, he was the latter. "I agree with Yari, splitting your money is an absurd idea. Besides we've got enough of our own, we don't need handouts."

"Okay, just a suggestion." Suto replied, smiling slightly. Just as well, since honestly he hardly had the Col to go around anyways. Swiping a finger through the air he brought up his inventory, looking at the abysmal 213 Col that he had in his possession currently. The others likely had twice as much as him easily, if not more. Unlike them he had a tendency to be a little careless with his money, indulging in things to enjoy himself. Chief amongst those were gatherings with other players n taverns for a fun evening of dance and song. To everyone else it was probably frivolous, but with so much distress he couldn't help but find some kind of enjoyment, it was all that kept him sane. The sound of a familiar voice took him from his mundane task, and he closed the menu to glance over and spot Kenshin. So apparently he'd slipped off as well, and yet there was a discernible lack of his being chewed out by the girls. "That is so not cool..." he mumbled, sighing and hanging his head.

A bit of conversation was had over Kenshin's spoils, the details of which were far beyond them all sans Fitch. One thing was certain, he had the entire database implanted into his mind before joining this game. The sheer amount of information that he carried with him was amazing. With a declaration that they were going back out Suto looked to Yari in disbelief, groaning as she geared up. He hadn't been joking about relaxing a bit longer, he was genuinely feeling tired. If everyone else was going though then he'd not sit around by himself while they went off. "Yeah, I guess we did agree didn't we?" Suto mused, smiling as he pushed himself up onto his feet. Bringing up his inventory once more he scrolled to his gear, equipping it all in one fell swoop. In place of his green shirt was a deep blue Gi top, accompanied by Gi pants of the same color. A pair of black boots and black gloves were fastened around his feet and hands respectively, and a black sash around his waist to secure his pants. Smiling contently at having his combat gear back on he flexed his hands a bit, making sure it was all in order out of habit. "Field boss...? Uh... What's that again?"

"Oh my... You're hopeless..." Luna grumbled, shaking her head and rubbing at her forehead. "A field boss is a creature stronger than all the others outside of a dungeon. It guards the entrance and has to be defeated in order for us to get into the dungeon. Seriously... Do you pay attention to anything that's said?" They'd only been through four floors so far, it was a mystery how they'd gotten so far with an airhead like Suto. Eying the grin he had on his face she rolled her eyes, looking at Fitch expectantly. "Does he take any of this seriously? Or is he just hopeless?"

Kenshin watched the proceedings with more than a little nervousness. Go back out? He’d just got back, and was quite tired. He didn’t know if he was up to fighting again today, but he did not want to seem like a coward. That jerk Luna already seemed to not like him for some reason. Kenshin would never seek to give her a concrete purpose to dislike him, but they were going to fight a Field Boss soon. Those things were terrifying; it would kill him in a second. Hell, it’d kill them all, the whole team. Unless… Standing, Kenshin clenched the hilt of his blade with his left fist and grimaced something fierce. He was stronger than this, dammit. He might die, but he would do it with blade in hand and fire in his soul. If there was anything Kenshin prided himself on, it was the ability to see something through to the end. No matter what difficulties may lay between here and there.

Kenshin decided that it was time to don the few bits of armor he didn’t normally wear out and about. The thought of putting the last bit of armor on brought a miniscule smile to the corners of his mouth. Oh tiny gods, but he loved this stuff. Kenshin swiped his left hand to open the inventory and slowly equipped the last few items. First came a pair of heavy, fingerless, leather gloves with ovoid brass disks set into the knuckles and running halfway down the back of the hand. In addition to a weak stat bonus on his defense, the gloves reduced the cast time on Sword Arts very slightly. Next came hobnailed combat boots lacing partway up each shin. Honestly, Kenshin was completely and totally in the dark as to what the boots did, but Fisk assured him that they were fine for the level at which he was at. The penultimate armor was a braided band, quite similar to his sword belt, but holding back his long black hair. This accoutrement had absolutely no intrinsic value, other than keeping him from being blinded. Oh, and making a seriously wicked warrior’s knot in the back of his head. Finally, came the best part. A dazzling shimmer of light wound its way around Kenshin’s chest, crosswise to the braided sword belt. The light resolved itself into a simple band of leather, black of course, with several small loops. Into these loops materialized a number of throwing picks, thin spikes of gleaming metal with a flattened disk forming the back end. These weapons were flung with great force and some fair accuracy. They were meant for medium range, to slow down or stun an advancing opponent. The picks were a bit on the expensive side due to their quality, and the Sword Art used to propel them was procured with Kenshin’s latest level up. After some significant practice, Kenshin had finally become decent with the weapons. In fact, the money and items he had brought in today were gained solely using the glorified darts and one Art to finish off particularly resilient enemies.

Dressed at last, Kenshin turned to his companions and flashed a slight confident grin. “Let’s give ‘em hell guys.” It was all very stirring. Like watching a cocoon open and seeing, not a butterfly emerge, but a deadly horned beetle…. And then watching that beetle fall over onto the ground and get crushed underfoot. Because Kenshin, being Kenshin, couldn’t keep his coramned mouth shut. Watching the ensuing blabbering and stumbling on words was likened to watching a train wreck try to drown itself. Ridiculous, horrifying, embarrassing, and funny as hell.

"Oh, please, like you really care," Came Fitch's reply to suto's complaints on the girls not chastising Kenshin. he watched as Luna snapped to Suto and Yari worked to resolve everything. She had such a strong air about her and he'd never seen a room that she couldn't calm by just being herself. It was one of the many things he loved about her. The boy rose to his feet and opened his window without much to say, scrolling through it. Soon, his jacket and other articles were replaced with armour that was a basic steel, appearing heavier than Yari's, and his shield materialized on his back. It was a tower-style shield, but it was smaller than Fitch himself, as it was low-level. He looked to Luna and shrugged, "Hopeless? Nah... He's just Suto," he replied with a small smirk. He could tell that the other two were tired, but he could go all day... There was something about the thrill of the battle that just drove him to keep going. In Aincrad, he could be somebody more than just Alex.

"The field boss shouldn't prove too problematic... It'll be like the last few we've seen, we just need our numbers and a strong defense at the front. It's all about biding our time; we'll be fine. This isn't the time to get worried - if you start to choke now, then we won't make it halfway to the Red Palace, alright?" He said firmly; his voice didn't waiver or fault under the weight of his words, which could be taken far more seriously than he'd really meant them to be.

Yari patted his back and laughed, "But don't be too stressed guys... After all, we came to Aincrad for a bit of fun... and while things aren't... erm... ideal right now, it's important that we just keep moving, okay?" With that, the girl smiled brightly, "Now, let's get this adventure rolling, okay? Business as usual." Fitch was close beside her as they started for the gates of the city, both having disregarded Suto's and Kenshin's possible tiredness. After all, if one was going to go and get in extra training early, it would be pointless if they didn't use the extra time properly. Fitch, however, didn't seem fazed at all by the time they'd spent out in the fields. But he'd been going his own way for a while too; while he wouldn't leave the group behind, he would certainly work his safety margin up. Though there was little time he had to himself, as he and Yari would take any chance they had to spend time with each other.

The group departed for the surrounding jungle of the floor, which composed a large portion of the terrain. There were multpile cities, but the teleport center in Caldwell would get them rather close to the meeting place without much issue, and the mobs were balanced throughout the floor. There was a wide variety of basic monsters in the jungle, from people-sized snakes to primates and large amphibious creatures. Fitch drew his blade and shield once they were officially beyond the city's entrance and diverting from the pre-placed paths in the jungle, where the fights would be a little bit harder with better spoils and more privacy.

"Hope everybody is awake again, because we're going to be here a while," Yari said with a smirk, readying her spear as their training was prepared to commence. "Don't leave the group without taking somebody with you - we don't want to make this a dangerous trip out," the girl reminded them politely. Fitch was already focused; he was almost always in a state of concentration... on something.

Suto decided to let his whining die down, it wasn't doing him any favors. Besides, it wasn't like him, normally he was as energetic as they came. Forcing himself to pep up he slapped his cheeks a few times for good measure, putting on a wide smile before falling in line behind the others. A party off five strong, each capable in their own right, there was no reason for concern during this expedition. That mindset helped bring his mood up to its usual brim, and with a small chuckle he folded his hands behind his head as they strolled along. "I guess killing a few monsters will help wake me up," he mused, talking to no one in particular. Besides, he could really use a bit more Col to pad his pitiful wallet. Should he want to do anything at all this evening he'd certainly need more funds, as parties had a tendency to get expensive fast. He could swear the NPCs were savvy to what was going on and raised their prices during those special occasions. Either that, or just as likely he got carried away with what he bought.

From the homely atmosphere of Caldwell they stepped into the dense, muggy thickets that enveloped much of the floor. They had come in here a few times already since reaching this floor and so much of the area was familiar. As such it came as very little surprise when they deviated from the path for a more rugged approach to their training. The jungles weren't terribly filled with players right now, but that could change in a matter of moments. If enough people came then the spawns of monsters would be camped and farmed, leaving very little for them to fight. It only made sense that they slink off to some distant reach of the area then, somewhere they could train at their leisure.

Suto zoned back in when Yari began to speak, seeing that both she and Fitch had gotten ready. On that note he debated for a moment before bringing up his inventory, opting to use his dagger rather than go bare-handed as he tended to. Upon equipping the item an amber colored sheath appeared, strapped to his right leg just above the knee and resting along the side. Reaching down he blindly drew the small blade from its sheath, glancing down at it with a satisfied smile. It wasn't anything spectacular, a basic dagger with a slightly curved point at the end, but it was HIS. It had been bought with a bit of money he'd managed to gather, and the fact in of itself he'd purchased it made the simple instrument rather special. Tossing it up he snatched the handle, keeping it at his side and ready for use. "Wide awake Yari, and ready to make some Col!" Suto declared, grinning cheerfully. Maybe if they got lucky they'd get enough to have a nice full meal tonight too, that would be just delightful.

"The buddy system, good idea." Luna stated, nodding to herself. So long as she wasn't paired with Suto she didn't care who she should go with. Not only did she not agree with him the majority of the time, but their working together seemed a touch redundant. Both were DPS and overall not terribly durable, she had to admit. As Suto had done she brought up her menu, scrolling through and equipping her weapons. A small pouch materialized on her waist, and inside were her tools of trade, throwing knives. Resisting the compulsive desire to count them she gave the container a satisfied pat, smiling to herself. Sooner or later she hoped to master medicine mixing to make extra use of her items. The idea of being able to paralyze or poison monsters with a single strike was oddly satisfying, and certainly granted her more use in combat. "Do we have teams in mind already? It would be best to sort that out now rather than in the heat of the moment, wouldn't you agree?" She'd never say it, but Luna could already guess that Fitch and Yari would be working together, as always. It didn't seem fair to her the more capable two worked hand in hand constantly, but it was below her to complain about it openly.

"Dibs on working with Fitch!" Suto shouted, giving a soft "ow" as Luna thwacked him on the back of the head.

"Don't scream! Do you want everything in this place to hear us?" Luna chastised, narrowing her eyes.

Suto shook his head in response, giving the spot he'd been hit a ginger rubbing. Once more Luna went back to paying him little mind, much to his relief. With a small smile he looked ahead at his two friends, giving them an inquisitive stare. "Are we even splitting up? I don't see why we would, staying together should work just as well..."

“I agree with Suto, it would not be wise to split up now,” Kenshin began, “we are stronger together and we can take on larger and stronger enemies worth more experience, Col, and items.” This last bit was directed at Luna in the hope that it would appeal to her goal-oriented view on their exploits. “Also, our numbers would allow us to attack larger bands of enemies. In smaller groups, we would be more vulnerable, able to take on nothing but weak, standard animals, dropping only a few col at a time and giving little EXP per kill. Also, I don’t very much like this idea of working in pairs because, at last count, there were five of us. I’m getting far better at fighting, but I greatly dislike the idea of going out there alone and getting myself killed because I don’t have any coramned cover!” Kenshin was yelling by now. He didn’t quite know why. He was just sick of these people leaving him out to dry. “I know exactly how this is going to end up. Fitch and Yari are going to go off and work together, bringing in more money than the rest of us by pure dint of his being a beta tester. Suto and Luna are going to pair up because both would prefer to work with anyone but me, even if they’re both DPS.” Now even Kenshin was aware that he was making a fool of himself. Oh, well, he had too much momentum to stop now. “I know strategy. Not necessarily the strategy of this game in particular, but I have made a bit of a study of general battle tactics back home in the real world - the sane world. A weakening of our forces is exactly what our enemies would want and I, for one am not ready to die! I hunted alone earlier today, but I did it with caution in mind. I went into an open area with a clear line of sight in all directions and ran from anything I knew I couldn’t handle.”

Shamed, Kenshin turned his back on the team and drew his sword. Smashing the blade against the side of a nearby tree, he watched the purple hexagon bearing the words ‘IMMORTAL OBJECT’ spring into existence on the trunk. In that moment, Kenshin envied the tree. “I will not run or cower in some safe town, but I will not throw my life away needlessly either. We have to play this smart. We can’t just run around aimlessly and fight for fun. If we do that, WE. WILL. DIE. No matter what prior experience we have with the game.” Finally turning to regard his companions, he was surprised to see that their forms were blurred with his own tears. “I will not watch any more friends die. We all saw enough of that on the first couple of days.” Images of that time sprang, unbidden, into Kenshin’s mind. The outskirts of the beginning town on the first floor became a bloodbath. PKing was rampant as people went crazy, striking out in fear and desperation for a pittance in money and items. It was living hell. “Let’s stay alive and work together. As a team, like we are supposed to be.” Kenshin sat heavily, resting his sword, point first in the dirt and offal of the jungle floor. Leaning his forehead against the pommel of the sword, he spoke softly, “I apologize for my outburst. I will not overreact in such a manner again. I am usually in better control of my faculties than I have let show today. I was just tired and worked up. I am prepared to go into combat now, though I hope to the gods above that we are going to do it smart and all together. It’s up to the rest of you to decide what we do now.”

Yari shook her head with a huff, "I didn't say we were planning to split up - before you all going hurting feelings by picking your partners off the bat. I said if we were to be separated, make sure you have somebody with you," She stated, rolling her eyes before looking to Luna and Suto. "Would you two stop it? We've not even started yet and you're at one another's throats over a word of caution, Not our battle plan... Sheesh." That was when Kenshin, seeming to have missed her meaning as well, began to lash out, and at first she had no idea how to react. In a twist of poor luck on her part, Fitch knew precisely what to do.

The swordsman had waited for Kenshin to regather his wits before socking him directly in the face - not in a way which would decrease his HP, as he had not activated any kind of unarmed skill, but simply to send a message. His voice was blunt when he spoke, "We're a team Kenshin. If you want to go off and train solo, that's fine, we all do our own thing sometimes, but I'll not stand for you accusing us all of being inexperienced or not taking this seriously. Do you think I want to see any of you die? No. Now suck it up, we're just trying to keep things as normal as possible, despite the circumstance. We aren't splitting up and none of us are going to die while we're watching each other, Yari was only giving advice. Not to mention we all do our part around here, just because you go out alone doesn't mean you've got the most skill - you're not familiar with the turf and I doubt your Identification Skill is already high enough to know every single monster you approach without being right on them. Even then, you could only know so much, and that's only if you've already put it into one of your skill slots. And don't assume yourself to be left out - so far, you've chosen that path. We invite you to all of these outings as a team and we stay together during them; nobody's leaving you out except yourself." He said venomously before being pulled back by Yari. A quiet argument between the two ensued before she turned out the clear victor and Fitch looked over, "Sorry, Kenshin. We're all a bit stressed... Guess we're not so used to accepting this as reality yet, huh?"

However, Yari moved over to Kenshin and gave him a small smile, "If we ever split up, you can stick with me, alright?" Fitch tried his best not to gawk at her, deciding to distract himself with Suto.

"You were a bit quick on the draw there, calling me, bud. Who's to say I'd not choose Luna first? She's definitely got the skill and she could use a defender," He pointed out teasingly, trying to push Kenshin's words from his mind. Would he really do that? If he'd had a choice, would he abandon all of them to be with Yari alone? No... She wouldn't allow it anyway, but he had to admit... As terrible as it all was, Aincrad was a rather romantic setting save for the death rate. He could only wonder what the future floors would look like.

Finally, Yari was able to take control again, "Now, can we get back to training? This fighting amongst ourselves is only dangerous. C'mon, if you guys need to keep squabbling, do it when we get back to Caldwell," She commanded, playing a little bit with her spear before nodding toward the jungle, "I think we could get a few levels in too if we work hard enough."

For very little reason Kenshin decided to have an episode right then and there. In reality it was probably a stress that they were all feeling, Suto knew he was. The rest of them however looked to be fairing far better than their friend was. Sympathizing then with his concerns Suto opened his mouth to speak, instead being cut off by Fitch. Their style in calming someone down showed itself when Fitch figured it best to punch Kenshin to 'knock some sense' into him. Cringing at the blow Suto shook his head, chuckling uneasily under his breath. "Jeez Fitch... Was that really necessary?" Rather quickly the conversation between the two boys escalated, or exploded might be a better word for it. In a surprising fit of anger Fitch was giving the more timid boy a proper chewing out, perhaps taking things a touch too far with his rebuttal. There was concern he might strike Kenshin again if not for Yari pulling him back much to Suto's relief. Hoping not to step on any toes he then walked over to Kenshin's side, putting a hand on his shoulder and offering a kind smile. "Seriously though, no reason to freak out dude. We're all together most of the time, and we've got each others backs. No one is going to die while we're like this, I can promise you that much." Simplistic as it might be he hoped that his few words did some good in calming Kenshin's nerves. In an abstract way it was Suto's own nerves too that were settled, taking solace in strength in numbers. They were all capable and all also had weaknesses, and it was in their group they were the most likely to survive. As the topic changed Suto looked to Fitch, flashing a grin at his friend. "Oh right, because you've done that so many times before," he teased back, putting his hands on his hips. "Come on Fitch, the only one you're kidding is yourself. But hey, it's cool. You two work well together, we won't ruin that."

"As much as I can't believe I'm saying this, he's right. You two are a good team, it'd only hurt us overall if we made you change partners." Therein lied a problem in of itself though. Luna wasn't too proud to admit that, while she had some skill she was certainly far from the best. That honor she figured went to Fitch and Yari respectively. In a manner of speaking they were the 'A' team, and she, Suto and Kenshin the 'B' team. How ironic that while she was reluctant to be a partner to Suto she should fall in the same category of him. Not without heart she looked over to Kenshin, smiling gently. "And the others are right too, nothing is going to happen as long as we stick together. We all make up for the others faults, and in turn make a great team." In the same mentality with Fitch she was sincerely determined to prevent the demise of any of her friends, even if she didn't show it. In some regards it was the group around her that helped her retain some sense of sanity in all of this chaos. Now that they were done with that little outburst it was finally time to get back to the matter at hand; training. "I thought you'd never ask..." Luna mused, smiling as she withdrew a few throwing knives. "It's not a worthwhile session if we don't improve at least a little."

Training was rather par for the course, nothing of significance really to mention. Loot and money aside the group would return to Caldwell much in the same state as they had left, though with one or two levels higher. Some would likely go off to the nearest store to sell what they didn't need to bring in a little extra cash, while others were bound to go relax. In the safe zones it was much more common for them all to split up, as there was no express reason to be quite as cautious. Taking the same route out of the jungle they found themselves crossing the field once more, making their way back to the city. Suto bore a wide grin as he walked, scrolling through his inventory and taking in his now slightly more impressive wallet. There was a fair bit he could do with that, and though common sense told him to save it for gear he was inkling to have a little fun. It was how nearly every excursion ended up for him; fight monsters and get loot, return to town to sell said loot, and spend upwards of 90% of his earned Col on nonsensical fun. Being so early in the game and for the most part surrounded by reliable friends there was little reason, he mused, to worry so much about what he wore and carried into combat. Chuckling happily to himself he materialized a satchel of Col, tossing it up and catching it in an open palm. "Oh man, what should I buy? Food? Some drinks? Maybe I'll find a bard and do some dancing!"

Conversely, Luna was meticulously planning out precisely what she'd use her money for. Her gear was acceptable for now, but there was always room to improve. A quick look at her funds and a little metal math told her she was shy of any real big pieces of gear, save for perhaps some new gloves or boots. If they had good bonuses though then it would be a worthwhile investment. In addition she made a mental note to set aside at least 100 Col for food, and hopefully then she would have enough for the room at the inn as well. "How about a new dagger Suto?" she suggested, closing her own menu. "Honestly, you've had that for a while, purchasing a new one might be a good idea. Or some new clothes, if you can afford it. I can't imagine a basic Gi uniform is very effective armor." What was the point of suggesting anything when they all knew Suto was going to indulge in his games rather than take things seriously. Giving an exasperated roll of her eyes Luna looked on ahead and kept walking, lifting a hand to brush some hair out of her eyes and behind her ear. "Or at least save it... You might need it."

Kenshin walked back into Caldwell with the rest of his team and thought about had transpired earlier that day. He was still quite ashamed of his outburst while hunting and was completely fine with Fitch’s reaction. In fact, Kenshin had already spoke to him about the incident and thanked the other boy for shaking him out of his funk. He was quite grateful for the support from the rest of the team as well. Contrary to expectations, the event had actually seemed to strengthen the bonds between the group members. This had the effect of improving the team’s combos while hunting. Kenshin and Luna in particular had a few team kills that belonged in the history books. Kenshin would throw a pick to slow an enemy and Luna would peg it with several knives, either killing it or lowering its health enough that one of the others could finish it off with one well-placed Sword Art. And now, Kenshin had a couple new levels and experience points to play with. He had already learned a new Sword Art with them; A powerful two-hit flying strike. He planned on either buying a new sword with his accumulated money or purchasing enough resources to have his current blade upgraded.

First things first though. Kenshin needed to find someplace to spend the night. He paid for his rooms a week at a time. The inn in which he had been residing needed its next payment starting today so, naturally, that was his first stop of the day. Before too long, Kenshin found himself outside his home for the foreseeable future: the Cracked Flagon. In keeping with the Victorian London theme of Caldwell, the inn was entirely stone on the outside save for a short wooden porch. The sign hanging from the eaves of the building teetered precariously on a pair of short rusted chains and depicted a wooden mug neigh split in twain up the side due to a crack starting at the base. Kenshin strode in purposefully and walked straight up to the counter at the back of the main room. The NPC manning the inn smiled woodenly as he approached. “Good afternoon, sir. How can I help you? Would you like a beverage,” this was said with a gesture to the sizable bar taking up most of the room, “or do you need a room for the night?”

“Hello again, I would like an extension on my room for another week.”

The NPC opened up his window to conduct the transaction. “May I have your registration code, sir? It’s just to make sure we extend the correct account.”

“The number is 001275860 and the name on the account is WARGOD KENSHIN,” the fighter blushed slightly at this last. The inn had required a two part registration title, probably due to the fact that it usually catered to teams. The NPC found his file and told Kenshin the amount to be paid. As he forked over the Col, a thought occurred to Kenshin, “Hey, innkeeper, can you tell me where I might find the best swordsmith in this town? I have need of a sword upgrade.”

The NPC seemed to think for a moment, before giving an address and a detailed description of how to get to the place of business. Kenshin thanked the man and left immediately. Half an hour’s walk later, he arrived at a small open-air iron forge manned by a rather brawny woman in a leather apron and holding a smith’s tools. Kenshin took out his sword and showed the woman. “Hello, my name is Kenshin and I would like to commission your services. As you can see, I use a one-handed curved sword, and I need either an upgrade or a new sword altogether. I was told that you were the best smith that Caldwell had to offer, can you help me?”

The woman laughed and introduced herself as Reyna. “With 400 Col and some common iron ore, I can increase your sword two ranks. With 1000 Col, Iron, and blackcrystal I can give you a much better upgrade. There are many different varieties of sword that I can craft for you, even an Elucidator if you have the materials, but they’re all very expensive.” Kenshin checked his inventory and wallet and sighed.

“I’d better go with the 400 Col upgrade. I have the money for the better sword, but it’s close. I can’t buy the upgrade and the materials too. Especially not the crystal.”

The smith pondered Kenshin’s predicament for a moment before speaking. “How about this. You give me some of that orcskin and 1,350 Col, along with the other materials of course, and I’ll give you the better sword upgrade. Some idiots pay an absolute ton for orcskin or lizardman hide to be worked into their armor.” Kenshin smiled and shook on the deal. He handed his blade over and, before too long, had a shiny new sword. It was matte black, with veins of crimson and silver forming strange, twisting designs along the whole length. Kenshin nodded in satisfaction and gave the woman, Reyna, a small tip on top. Then he began the long walk home, looking forward to showing off his new sword to the team tomorrow.

When they got back to town, the group said their goodbyes to take care of their own business. Yari and Fitch walked in separate directions, but they came back around and met once more in the plaza. They didn't want the others to think they were being abandoned for any reason, but sometimes it was nice to just step back from everything. The two of them found a basic NPC shop and browsed the weapons before deciding to keep what they had for a while longer. Rather than spend their money responsibly on equipment, they decided to pull a Suto and find an adequate restaurant in Caldwell, sharing one side of a booth rather than sitting across from one another. Before getting trapped in Aincrad, the two had rarely been able to feel like a couple, despite having been together for a while and if there was one thing about this floating Hell that Fitch would regret losing, it was all of the time that he and Yari could spend without her parents breathing down their necks. Fitch paid the tab off and continued their stroll, still amazed that they never seemed to run out of things to talk about. If not for her, he'd likely still be out in that jungle, tearing down pixel after pixel of data, fully addicted to the rush of battle and becoming the best.

Both of them had taken up a room in an inn that none of the others were using, as each of them had their own preferences, and thus they could spend less to share one with two beds. It was cost-efficient and the two would turn in that night with an overwhelming sense of exhaustion. The next day, their alarms would ring and wake them up and the team would go at it again, sometimes in threes and sometimes in pairs, but they managed to keep their levels fairly even. For several more floors they continued to do anything they could to remain in a comfortable leveling zone, and without realizing it, they were amongst the top players. On the eleventh, they were invited to the major raid party that was pushing against the boss.

---

Aincrad, Floor Eleven, approx. 4 months into the game

Forty-nine players all stood in a crowd at the doorway to the boss of the eleventh floor, all of them either giddy or nervous with anticipation. Notably in the ranks were Fitch, Yari, Suto, and Kenshin, all wearing quite strong gear for their levels, obtained through drops, smiths, and some rather nice NPC shops in the most recent town. Apart from them, there was a silver-haired boy wearing a curved sword and leather armour of the absolute highest grade. He'd already obtained quite a reputation, having amassed what was believed to be one of the largest fortunes out of all the players, though it was too early in the game to tell if it was true wealth or simply luck. What they didn't know was that the ring on his hand had been a bonus from the third-floor boss' last-hit drop; it improved drop rates of rare and valuable items as well as increased the quantities at which items of any moderate grade or lower would be dropped. An even more well-known face was that of a man who called himself Heathcliffe. This man had earned his recognition quickly by organizing one of the strongest guilds composed of highly elite players, his own strength appearing nearly unmatched. However, he only appeared on some of the boss fights, despite his power, and remained cloaked in mystery.

Heathcliffe stood before them all, his armour was a signature red, as was his shield, no matter how basic in appearance, they were quite formidable. He seemed to be thinking for several moments before finally speaking, "I could not be more impressed with this group... In four short months, we have- nay, you have conquered over a tenth of Aincrad." The man seemed almost prideful of them all, but he merely smiled and drew his blade, placing the tip gently to the ground beside him, resting his hand on the pommel. "I just want you all to remember how hard you've worked, and how continuing to do so will help everybody stuck here with us. Remember to stay in formation, shield users and heavy armours need to take a few hits so that whatever is behind this door can take as much damage as possible in return," He explained before continuing to run through the battle strategy one more time, as they always did before entering. Everybody seemed to be on the same page, so he turned and the sound of blades being drawn could be heard throughout the large, basic hallway. The doors opened and each party rushed inside, taking up their respective locations as they waited for the start of the fight.

The lights around the room began to come alive in the form of torches. They were surrounded by grey brick walls which wrapped around to the white marbled staircase, like a wonderfully gilded path to the next floor. However, standing before the stairs was something large... Or, wait... bulbous? It was a man? The large character stepped forward with a bright smile - he wore red robes and a tall hat, his hands clasped in front of him. He seemed friendly enough as he opened his arms, "My children!" It was a truly bewildering voice, as it held some kind of bouncy accent that Fitch could barely make out. He was vaguely reminiscent of some kind of plumber in one of those classic games, though he couldn't remember the character's name for the life of him. However, this man did not wear overalls or have a bushy moustache. "It's good to see you all here, I've been waiting for you!" It recited its lines just as it was programmed to, looking to Luna and locking eyes with her. Nobody moved, "Come, my child, kneel at my feet and we shall all pray for ascension, then perhaps we will rise to the next floor!"

The bot did not budge, his eyes trained on the girl, suddenly void of emotion. There was still no movement and now there was no sound and Luna looked around. Why her? What kind of sick joke was this? Was that all there was to it? Fitch didn't like it, but he kept his mouth shut as he tightened his posture and lowered his blade, ready to block. Finally, the girl did as she was told, because clearly he would not choose a new target, move, or even let them pass until she did. As she lowered herself, the man began to speak in some foreign tongue that sounded nothing like Japanese. Horror filled the room as he began to grow and his skin peeled away; the chanting turned into an indistinguishable snarl as a beastly hand bashed into Luna, sending her into the wall and quickly pouncing after her. She had been prepared for something to go wrong, but there was nothing she could do to stop it. The man had become some type of demon with a menacing black hide, running on all fours and baring the most disgusting of teeth. He had red eyes and ram horns while his lower half became covered in fur and his feet became hooved. For a moment, everybody was stunned, and it was enough time for him to be on top of Luna, mercilessly attacking her as she screamed for help - this wouldn't be fair... How could a game be programmed to auto-kill some random player in the boss room... and why did it have to be her?

Nero blasted from the ground forward and was quickly followed by Heathcliffe and Fitch. The monster took a hit from the curved swordsman as the two shield-users moved in front of Luna, combining their strength to take the next blow from the beast head-on with the metal plates. A few hits later and the demon seemed to have forgotten the girl on the ground as it was lured to the middle of the room by the players who had all regained their senses and started to attack, methodically blocking and switching out for damage against the cretin. Every player was focused on taking it down and keeping it away from anybody with lower health, and Luna was left where she had landed, her eyes wide in disbelief as she stared at the blinking red sliver of health she had left. Why couldn't she move..? Why couldn't she just pull out a potion and drink it?

The beast would lose its first two health bars at record speed while the entire group tore at it - they were all fighting that much harder because it had started the battle dishonourably. As it was down to one simple bar left, it rose onto its hind legs and held out a hand, materializing a pitchfork and starting to fight back with plenty more vigor. Two players died in the initial attack of it and a total of four were lost to the battle by the time it was killed. The silver-haired boy seemed pleased, gave Heathcliffe a thumbs up and, with most of the other party members, would check on Luna before leaving. Some grieved for the few fallen comrades, but they had to keep going... life moved on. Yari, however, was in tears as she jumped into Luna, crying out in relief that she had been able to recover.

Floor eleven, it was hard to believe they had gotten so far. Granted it had taken quite some time, four months in fact. By now the player count had stagnated, with deaths still occurring but nowhere near like what the beginning of the game had shown. As well as managing to increase their odds of survival players had begun to gather together and form guilds, and already some were standing out. Chief amongst the guilds was the Knights of Blood, perhaps the strongest organized guild yet to appear. Led by a man by the name of Heathcliffe, it was bar none the most respected of them all, that much was certain. Their singular goal was to clear the game and free everyone from their digital prison, hence the overwhelming favor and backing they received. And while many players laid the same claim the Knights were amongst the few who could seriously back it up. When it came time to strike at the 11th boss then it was unanimous that they would lead the charge, with Heathcliffe seeing to the overall command of the raid. With nearly fifty combatants prepared to fight it was one of the largest raid groups yet assembled, filled to the brim with plenty capable players. Suto and company were amongst the swathes, designated by themselves as one of the forward teams due to their skill. So when the doors opened and the battle was set to begin they all charged headlong in, expecting to find some hulking beast awaiting them on the other side. Everyone was rather confused then when the only thing they came across was a homely looking man, a religious figure of some sorts. Needless to say people were rather confused.

At first it seemed like there might be some sort of quest here, perhaps something different to the standard boss formula. Unlike previous bosses this one wasn't immediately hostile, and what's more seemed to recognize the players in its presence. Namely Luna, for whatever reason, she was the one who was being focused on. There was clear hesitation at first, as who wouldn't be cautious in a situation like this? As it became apparent that they'd not be able to continue otherwise she finally relented, stepping forward as she was asked to. In a blink of an eye things took a turn for the worst, and nearly got Luna killed. She had nearly reached the man until an uneasy feeling made her halt, grabbing at her knives instinctively. Just as her fingers wrapped around the cool metal of her tools the man began to shift at a startling rate, changing into something more reminiscent of a demon. It had all happened so fast, and Luna scarcely had time to react to it. As the beast reared its ugly head a massive hand swung out, smacking her away like an insect and slamming her into one of the nearby walls. Hardly a second after she tumbled to the floor an immense weight landed on her, threatening to crush her had she her true body. All Luna could muster was a timid whimper as the monster glowered down at her, and then it began its attack. Feeling its claws tearing through her she began to scream, pitifully lifting her arms to try and protect herself. Horrifyingly enough she could see her health bar above her quickly dwindling, rather swiftly dipping into the yellow and then alarmingly into the red. She was going to die here, she told herself. She was going to be killed by a cheap shot and nothing could be done about it. Seeing a hand lift in slow motion she braced herself, squeezing her eyes closed for the death strike that would never come. By a saving grace a few players leapt into action, taking on the beast finally and forcing it away from her.

Suto watched in silent awe as Fitch, Nero and Heathcliffe threw themselves at the boss, beating it back and making it look easy in the process. While he might be of some use against the boss his strengths lay in more individual combat and speed, whereas it seemed sheer power and defense reigned here. There was something he could do though, and that was try to help Luna. Taking off across the room he began to scroll through his inventory, hastily finding one of his two health crystals and taking it out for use. Luna was still where she had been a moment before, laid out and looking properly unsettled by what had happened. Once reaching her Suto knelt down, not even saying a word as he used the item on his friend. Seeing her health beginning to climb back up again he finally got a sigh of relief, smiling at Luna. "You're okay now. Can you stand?"

Luna couldn't believe it. Not only had she been rendered useless, but now Suto of all people had come to her aid. When he spoke to her she looked up at him, wordlessly nodding her head. Critical as she might be normally she couldn't think of anything to say, actually rather indebted to her friend. That was much too close, and she was certainly going to have nightmares now thanks to that. Trembling slightly she pulled herself into a sitting position, managing a small smile. "I'm fine... Thank you." The others seemed to have the boss fight under control, doing a sizable amount of damage on their own. Maybe she'd just sit it out then, let everyone else do their part. Looking back at Suto she smiled thankfully, though it quickly wavered as she saw a handful of implings charging at them. "Look out!"

Jumping to his feet at the warning Suto turned around expecting to see the boss, instead being greeted by a small bunch of his minions. While still dangerous in their own right they were far easier to deal with, and therefore nowhere near as terrifying. "Just relax, I got this." he said, grinning as he lifted his hands. Utilizing his higher than average dexterity and speed he rushed ahead to cut off the imps, hoping to keep Luna well out of their reach. Being just shorter than he was he had to strike down at them, though that was hardly an issue. In a serious fight like this his demeanor tended to change from that of carefree to rather serious, though his eager disposition remained. Looming over the first of the imps he stopped on one foot, pivoting his body and swinging a leg out, creating a 'cutting' motion that sliced the monster in two. Once the foot landed he swung an elbow back, nailing an imp in the head and knocking it over, and subsequently stomping on its head to kill it. A third was felled when he stretched his fingers, driving his hand clean through it like a sword in one fell swoop. In the midst of fighting the remaining three closed in, managing to get a few hits of their own to make his health drop to nearly half. Hardly missing a step he pressed on, using his hand like an axe and digging it into one of the imps shoulders, punching it as well to finish it off. The second to last met its end as he kicked it directly in the head, having enough force to send it flying before it shattered into a plethora of pixels. Suto turned to face the last one, only to watch as it ran off and be killed by another player who intercepted it. Feeling rather proud for even just taking out minions he chuckled, almost beaming as he noticed that the boss as well had been felled not too long after. "Damn..." he mumbled, wiping at his forehead, "We make a good team."

Luna had become a bystander in the battle, not that she minded terribly. After a close encounter with death she was content in sitting on the sidelines, probably too shaken to really be of much use anyways. She watched on in silent envy and awe as everyone fought their best, impressed for the most part with everyone's performance. Even Suto who she usually bashed was performing well, making light work of half a dozen minions. By the time the battle was finally over they'd sustained relatively few losses, secretly being glad not to be amongst them. Breathing a welcome sigh of relief she began to pick herself up only to be knocked onto her backside by a rather emotional Yari. Stunned by her show Luna sat there for a moment before working up a sad smile, embracing her friend and closing her eyes, letting a few tears flow as well. "Come on now... I'm okay Yari, no reason to cry," she whispered, opening her eyes and looking at her friend tearfully. "Are you okay too? And the others?"

Floor eleven. Officially one-tenth of the game finished. And in only four months. Kenshin could hardly believe how far he had come. He had grown much; as a person, and as a member of a team. Kenshin was no longer the same terrified wimp who had a meltdown at the mere thought of having to fight a Field Boss. He was a man now; still scared, but determined to remain strong. In truth, he really was a man, having turned eighteen the two months past. The team had thrown him a party in a small tavern on the sixth floor, with fabricated cake and everything. It made Kenshin finally feel like he belonged. It was at this party that he made his silent vow: never again would Kenshin Takami turn away from a fight due to fear. He would fight to defend those he cared about with all his strength, no matter what the consequences. From that point on, Kenshin had trained at every opportunity, sometimes even tiring Yuri with his incessant practice. Fitch taught him all he was able about combat mechanics, Suto showed him the basics of unarmed combat in case they were jumped unprepared, Yuri escorted him on endless scouting missions, and Luna helped him increase his accuracy and power with his throwing picks. Kenshin had transformed himself into the best fighter as he was able of becoming. Granted, Kenshin would never be as good as his teachers in their own specialties, but at least he was balanced. And with his new skills, armor, and weapons, he was well on his way to becoming quite formidable.

All this went through Kenshin’s mind as he listened to Heathcliffe’s speech outside the Boss Room. As the crimson-clad warrior turned and opened the doors, Kenshin drew his blade and willed his thoughts to calm. The doors opened and Kenshin rushed the room hot on Fitch’s heels. The strange man they found there was vaguely familiar from something, though Kenshin couldn’t place exactly what. He seemed oddly interested in Luna and KEnshin moved protectively closer, readying himself for action. It still came as a complete surprise when the man ripped his own flesh off and turned into a kriffing daemon, though. It pounced on Luna and drove her to the floor before mercilessly ravaging her supine form. Kenshin moved to defend his friend, but was beat to the punch by Heathcliffe and Fitch, who locked shields and blocked the blow that would have taken Luna from this world. Kenshin took this opportunity to draw second blood by sinking his sword hilt deep into the daemon’s back. He took a massive kick for his troubles and was sent flying across the room to slam into one of the torches on the wall. His armor took the brunt of the impact and Kenshin was instantly back on his feet. A skittering sound to the left drew his attention and he spun to see a veritable flood of imps come in from some hidden doorway, doubtless summoned here by the daemon.

Kenshin grinned savagely and activated a Sword Skill. He held his blade low and to the right side, causing it to glow a soft blue. He held position until the first of the imps was within range and then let the gathered power loose. The blade flicked up and scored a line from its left hip up to its neck. A 360 degree spin to the left took the next imp’s head off. To finish the combo, Kenshin rolled forward and removed another imp’s legs off. The pause time at the end of the combo was long enough that Kenshin took a couple of hits, but the damage was easily healed. He waded back into the fray, swinging under his own skill now, and felled several more imps. Then there were other players backing him up, lances and spears decimating the devilish ranks while swords hewed limb from limb. Kenshin was able to retreat and provide some cover at a slightly safer range with the picks.

Some time later, the silver-haired swordsman Nero lay the last strike on the final imp, finishing the battle. Kenshin trudged to where Suto stood over the shell-shocked form of Luna. On the way, he checked his HUD and was amazed to see that his health had just barely dropped into the red. He wracked his memory for exactly when he had received enough injuries to cause this much destruction and came up with a blank. Dismissing the event as an oversight due to the fog of battle, Kenshin knelt beside Luna and attempted to offer consolation. He was rebuffed, however by the assurances that she was ‘completely fine, just shaken’ and the arrival of a teary-eyed Yuri. Resigning himself to the fact that the mother hen would not let anyone else bother Luna, Kenshin moved some distance away and sat to heal the wounds received in the terrible clash.

Nero's hands rested inside of his coat pockets as he approached the small group gathered around Luna - her friends. He looked to each of them as the excitement from battle left his face, leaving a rather placid expression behind. He nodded, looking to Fitch, "Nice reaction time. You were right on Heathcliffe's tail with that block; definitely a big help," He mentioned before turning his gaze to Kenshin. "Impressive speed, keep it up, you took out a lot of those imps on your own." Next came a look to Suto, "That was really brave of you, moving to the aide of your friend quickly like that - we could use more like you. Everybody else, you did a great job," He said, looking to them each before pausing, looking to the stairs, and then simply walking away. Heathcliffe was speaking and there was some cheering as Nero approached, but the red-armoured man started up the staircase first in order to open the next floor.

Fitch sheathed his blade and placed his shield on his back as Yari darted for Luna at the end of the battle. His steps, however, were slow and deliberate as he knelt down beside her, a small smile on his face. "Glad you're okay. Yari, give her some space," He said calmly, looking to the blue-haired girl with a small laugh. She blushed and nodded, falling back onto her heels. The two of them thanked Nero as he left and Fitch looked over to Suto, "He's right, you know. Your quick-thinking was pretty admirable," He said before climbing to his feet. He put a hand on Yari's shoulder. She looked up and nodded, rising to her feet. "Alright, guys, let's get up to the next floor. The party's bound to start up soon, we're gonna wanna find a place to wind down before they start."

Yari put her hands on her hips, "Yup, he's right, c'mon guys," She said brightly, offering Luna a hand to help get up and heading for the stairs. The group moved to the next floor and shortly after they'd calmed down and gotten a moment to relax, the flood from the lower floors began. The party was amazing, as usual, and Fitch had no doubt that Suto had spent nearly all of his spoils from the boss battle indulging on anything and everything of the party. The group sat around a single table at a very run-of-the-mill bar, clinking glasses and laughing.

---

Floor 21, Aincrad, 5 months into the game

"Happy birthday!" The group rang out in unison. Yari blushed brightly, staring down at her lap with a bright smile on her face. She had made it to her birthday with all of her closest friends. No, she didn't get to see her parents today or anything as such, but she was still with people she considered to be family. She was finally eighteen - in real life, she would be getting ready for entrance exams in her senior year. But instead, she was spending every day on an adventure and helping everybody get one step closer to escaping Aincrad.

Nero had even decided to attend. He had become renown as the wealthiest player in all of Aincrad rather quickly, as he worked tirelessly for priceless materials and countless hours to gain his status. He did not wear his blade on his hip or have any kind of protection on, merely opting for a nice, white-with-red trim jacket over a black shirt for the occasion. Beside him was a girl who was called Yuna, his well-known girlfriend who had been able to build up her own seam shop and bakery without too much investment from him. She had a multi-layered dress of a nearly transparent hue of azure, made from a unique silk that came from one of Nero's first unique monster hunts. Her hair was short and brown, framing her small face rather cutely. She and Nero were both younger than all of the present company, but only by about a year, and at this point age was but a number.

There weren't gifts from every single person, but when she was given her gift it was a lovely white gown-like dress, which they said was made from a high-leveled arachnid beast's silk on the twentieth floor. It wasn't unique by any means, though, it was more the skill put into it that made it as nice as it was. After insistance from the entire group, she finally put it on and ran a hand through her hair, grabbing one of her arms with a hand in embarrassment. Fitch's jaw nearly hit the floor, but he had to hide his surprise and smiled.

"You look wonderful, Yari," He said with a smile. Their small party had amassed enough money to get her a bracelet which would boost her DEX attribute rather significantly. It was jeweled and just stunning with a ruby-like mineral dotting around her wrist. Her favourite, however, had come from Fitch. However, she hadn't been able to show it off yet. In fact, the two of them weren't sure when they would be telling the others that on her left hand was not some skill-based ring, but one which signaled their marriage in the game. He had asked her just earlier that day, but the rest of the group didn't even know they had been a couple, so it may complicate things to say anything about it. However, they knew they would be able to eventually, the others would understand.

Suto was elated, they'd come so far already. Given it had been five months now, but with a fifth of the game cleared they were gathering steam and pushing on ahead. Had anyone told him they'd be making progress like this four months ago he may have been skeptical. Now things were genuinely looking promising though, and the day that they'd finally go home, however distant was gradually approaching. As if that weren't enough to brighten his day they also had a celebration for the day; Yari's birthday. With it coming up he and Fitch had spent the last few days planning things out in hopes of surprising her. Had she forgotten amidst all the chaos? Hopefully not, it was still a rather important day. For perhaps the first time since the game began Suto made it a point to save his money, hoping to put everything he could into the gathering to make it something truly worth celebrating. Of course, when it came down to it Fitch really took the reigns on organizing, he was just along for the ride. Luna was gracious enough as well to put into it, though not quite as outgoing when it came to setting things up.

That was a rather nice change as of late, Suto reflected. Luna, while still very much her own person was a bit more agreeable with everyone else, especially him. The whole 'saving her life' aspect may have something to do to that, though in reality all he credited himself with was killing a few imps, hardly worth boasting. Regardless of the reason it was a pleasant turn of pace, as he really wasn't usually a confrontational person. For the sake of Yari's birthday they agreed to put aside their bickering and get along... Or, rather, Luna agreed not to chastise Suto for his eccentricity. When the party began it couldn't have done so in a better fashion. Fitch had agreed to take Yari out to the shop, and while she did that they set up the local in for the celebration. It had to be done quickly, but with enough help, even from the NPCs they had gotten the task done. Upon their friend's return the surprise was sprung, and the look on their friend's face told them it was a job well done. A friendly embrace from both Suto and Luna were had before Yari even so much as made it through the door before finally being allowed to sit. And ever the master of amusement Suto took it upon himself to declare the party a go, grinning cheerfully as a bit of music began to play and food was brought out. They might be stuck in the game, but they'd make it a birthday party worth remembering.

Eating, dancing and making toasts was fun and all, but the group was perhaps most earnestly excited for the gifts. They had all pooled together on these as well, with little ones from each individual person to boot. The highlight of the day would be the group gift though, a flowing white gown crafted from fine spider's silk. It wasn't a rare item really, but then again it was the thought that counted, right? Besides, it looked amazing in of itself, and Yari certainly did it justice once she put it on. When she revealed it to everyone there were a fair share of cheers, and even one or two cat calls that were quickly silenced courtesy of Luna. Yari really did look good in it, and as the birthday girl she was receiving all the attention and praise that she should be. Not only was it another year but she had done so much for the group, and from fighting on helped who knows how many players have hope and move on. It might be a small party, Suto mused, but it was a celebration from the entire player base to her, even if the players didn't know it. With a wide grin plastered on his face Suto walked over to Yari, taking her in a hug with a happy laugh. "You look like a bride! Holy cow!" he exclaimed, letting her go and stepping back. "Seriously, nice dress. Hope you get plenty of use out of it!"

Luna had come up as well behind Suto, letting him have his own meet and greet before smiling at Yari herself. "Happy Birthday again Yari," she said gently, hugging her friend as well. Under any other circumstance she'd be a stick in the sand, complaining that they ought to be a little more productive. Even she recognized today's importance though, and honestly she was really having a lot of fun. All of the socializing and activity did leave her feeling a touch out of place, meaning she spent as much time as she could near her friends. Luna was warming up to it all though, albeit gradually. By floor twenty five or so she could hopefully stand to be in a crowd without feeling anxious, that was her own little goal for their journey. Once releasing Yari she moved back as well, clasping her hands behind her back contently. "The boys are right, you look beautiful in that." Giggling a bit she managed a surprisingly cute smile, scuffing her foot against the floor sheepishly. "Just don't wear it too often, as it seems to attract attention." she added, referring to a small group of players who were watching in, the ones she'd smacked previously. Narrowing her eyes at them the old Luna came back for a second, threatening to string them up from their bootstraps if they weren't careful.

"Let's get another cheer for the birthday girl!" Suto exclaimed, gesturing for everyone to shout once more time, beaming as they did. Ecstatic at how much fun everyone was having he moved in between Fitch and Yari, slinging an arm around both of their shoulders and pulling them into hugs. "See guys? I told you we could have fun here! I've been telling you all along!" He'd been doing this kind of thing since the game began, always spending money on superfluous parties. If he had to be honest with himself this was the first one he genuinely enjoyed, and found himself properly happy in. How could he not be when his closest friends were in attendance? Spotting Luna standing before them on her lonesome he smirked, letting Fitch and Yari go to try and hug her as well, instead getting a heel to his toes. With a small yelp he hopped back, looking down at his foot with a pout as he shook it. "You were hugging Yari a second ago! Am I that bad?"

Luna reacted a bit hastily towards Suto, not quite having grown use to him even now. Seeing the disparaging look on his face she softened up a bit, offering an apologetic smile before shaking her head. "You're not bad... I just don't like getting really close to most people. It's nothing against you." she replied simply. More precisely she'd noticed she was a bit nervous when close to boys than girls. It didn't matter who it was either, be it Fitch, Suto, a raid party member, or even Nero on occasion, she always got fidgety. How embarrassing, to be so unnerved by some silly boy. Opting for a change in topic she smiled at Yari nervously, shifting her weight on her feet for a moment. "By the way... There's a second part to the gift, if you're interested..." she began, her cheeks flushing slightly as she turned her gaze away sheepishly. "Yuna and I figured a girl's night out might be fun... So if you want to we can do that later on. Though I don't know what we'll do exactly."

Yari’s party was wonderful. Kenshin had little to do with the planning, but was happy to donate Col to the event. Goodness knows he had enough, even after purchasing his new weapon: a two-handed katana. The blade had yet to be tested in combat, but was rather impressive, both in looks and in stats. Despite its name, the weapon could be used with either one hand or two, giving it a certain amount of versatility unrivaled by most other weapons. Kenshin sat in the back of the inn during the party and quietly observed the proceedings. He added his own cheers when appropriate, hugged Yari along with the others, and did actually participate. Kenshin was even one of the catcallers when Yari came out in her spidersilk dress. Luna put a quick end to this, though. Kenshin did not, however, stand out at the party. He was still quite nervous in large groups and decidedly avoided them. When the party began to wind down, Kenshin decided that it was time for him to take a walk. On his way out, Kenshin stopped by to give Yari another hug and nodded his goodbyes to the rest of his team.

Kenshin walked out of the inn and reveled in the cool night air sweetly kissing his skin. The 21st floor was built as a coastal town with soaring bluffs, green fields, and rolling meadows. It made Kenshin think of his home back in Niigata. There was a small stone path running out along the sheer bluffs where one could take a leisurely walk and feel the ocean’s spray on their face. Kenshin found a small bench overlooking the sea and brought out one of the few items he carried that had no combat value: a fishing pole. Fishing was one of the few physical activities Kenshin enjoyed back in the real world, mostly because it was the only thing his father regularly took the time to do with him. Kenshin cast his line and took in a deep breath of the soft sea breeze. Looking around, Kenshin realized that he was not alone in the enjoyment of this night. There was a tall woman, about Kenshin’s age, standing alone on one of the tall cliffs. The woman wore armor, even in town, and had her pure white hair tied back in a long braid down her back. “Sorry I disturbed you, this area reminds me of home and it’s so lovely tonight I can hardly let it go to waste. I’ll go find another place to go fish,” Kenshin called out.

The woman turned to regard him. “Don’t worry, I was of the same mind myself. The similarities between this place and my native Niigata are truly stunning. In truth, I am happy that someone else is able to enjoy this night as much as I, myself do.” As the woman moved closer, a look of complete surprise dawned over her face. “Wait, is that you Kenshin? Have I finally found you after 5 months of searching?!”

Realization hit Kenshin like a brick to the face. “Ayano Nobunaga? I didn’t know you were in this kriffing game too! I’m so sorry, you have to call this hellhole home as well.” Ayano- or Alphard Shurai as his HUD told him- was one of Kenshin’s oldest friends and the secret love of his life, though he’d never had the heart to tell her. Kenshin had lived next door to ‘Alphard’ for his whole life and he’d never seen any indication of an interest in video games. He ran forward to embrace the woman, both crushed that she was stuck here and overjoyed that he had found her after all this time.

Alphard was nearly moved to tears. She had spent five long months consumed only by rage and fear. She had come into the game a day late, not knowing what fresh hell she had wandered into. Also, upon entrance to the game, she had found a kind and caring older man who offered to accompany her on her journeys and help her. As soon as they were out in the wilds, though, the man turned on her and attempted to rape and kill her. Thankfully, Alphard already knew how to fight and was able to kill her attacker first. This had all led her to adopt a shell of raw emotion and rage, wearing only heavy armor to protect her in the blind rushes she preferred. With a special war scythe she had picked up as a drop from the 17th floor’s boss, Alphard was practically a tank on the battlefield. And now she had found the man she had fallen in love with years ago. Therefore, it came as a great joy to Alphard when Kenshin broke the embrace and asked her if she wanted to come join his team.

Fitch smiled as he sat against the wall for a little bit, getting a small break from the party as the others all latched on to Yari. Yuna had joined Luna as they talked about their 'girls' night out' and Nero rested beside the sandy-blond haired boy, his hands in his pockets. His voice was low, but a small smirk rested on his face, "Those rings aren't for stat boosts, Fitch," He stated flatly. "I've yet to see any that look like those - despite how basic they are... When did you two tie the knot?" The younger boy asked, looking up slightly to his friend. Fitch looked shocked for a moment before laughing.

"You're observant... Today," He answered, his eyes moving back to the party, resting on the girl in her white dress, seeming to be lost in thought for a moment, a wistful smile playing at his lips. They had yet to tell anybody, and as badly as they wanted to, the two were wary of upsetting Suto. The relationship had been a secret for nearly two years when they entered the game. For a moment, Yari looked over to him and he smiled, gave her a nod, and pushed from the wall, moving to join the group again. However, from the corner of his eye, he spotted the door opening and shutting behind a black figure... Why was Kenshin heading out? Then again, air sounded wonderful, so Fitch approached Yari and put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm heading out for a few, I'll be back," He stated; consequently, the girl nodded and beamed at him before Suto gave her yet another hug and she had to remind him that alcohol in Aincrad didn't actually have any true effect.

The shield-user left the pub and caught sight of Kenshin some way up the road. The salty sea air brushed over him and he smiled softly... This floor would always hold a special place in his heart; although it was nothing like his home, he couldn't fathom being with Yari anywhere else. For a moment, lost in his own thoughts, Fitch had forgotten why he left the bar in the first place; however, he heard Kenshin's voice and the voice of a girl as they spoke and he blinked, turning his head again. He was maintaining a safe distance as to not be found, but the sight was so curious... Kenshin knew somebody here? The girl was wearing rather heavy armour and was using a scythe - an uncommon weapon choice due to its poor speed and its status as a two-handed weapon. However, he vaguely remembered seeing a player who was swinging one on one of the boss fights. Aincrad, despite its size, often seems to be such a small world... Fitch let them have their moment, simply observing with a small smirk on his face. He had rarely seen Kenshin show so much emotion, so once Alphard left, Fitch was quick to take a seat beside his friend. There was silence for a bit, but he wasn't going to just let the other boy go - they could all meet Alphard when it wasn't so late.

Finally, he gave a small laugh and looked over to Kenshin, "So, who is she?" He asked without thinking. To be honest, he had never really cared for the view that speaking about real life was rude - how else would you really get to know people?

---

After Fitch had left, Nero waited for the party to continue slowing down before he walked up to Suto and placed a hand on his shoulder. "C'mon, let's leave the girls to do whatever they like. You're the party animal, let's see if we can't plan our own guys' night out," He suggested, smiling to Yuna. "I'll see you later, Yuna," He told her. The girl smiled and blushed, her face turning to a very hot red as he pecked her cheek and began to pull Suto out of the pub with him.

Yuna sat in silence for a few moments, biting her lip before clapping her hands together. "Okay! So... Uhm... What are we going to do?" She asked, looking to Luna. She hadn't really thought of it and wasn't used to being a leader. Yari perked up a bit, seeming to have spaced out for a short bit.

"Oh, right. Yeah, Luna, what did you have in mind?" She asked sweetly.

What a great night this whole event was turning out to be. Suto couldn't be more thrilled, everyone in attendance seemed to be having a genuinely good time right now. It was so rare that they all just had fun like this, and in doing so he couldn't help but be reminded about life outside of the game. This would be the world they'd be coming back to, back to going out as a group and having fun together, but for real. The thought of it all nearly made his heart leap in excitement, he couldn't wait. Watching as Kenshin departed he quirked an eyebrow, putting his hands on his hips with a faint smile. "Where on earth is he going...?" he asked rhetorically, surprised shy Kenshin was heading out on his lonesome. Not a moment later did Fitch come over to join them as well, only to give Yari a hug and leave the building as well after their other friend. The celebration was still going strong, wasn't it? It was a little disappointing that people were beginning to go, and of course Suto was unaware they'd been at it for over an hour at this point. With his focus on the birthday girl he jumped a bit when someone grabbed his shoulder, turning with a bashful smile to see it was Nero. "What...? A guy's night out?" he mimicked, honestly perplexed. He knew the girls were chatting about doing something, but he hadn't intended on a night out on the town really, not with the state that his wallet was in. No sooner had Nero proposed the idea and said goodbye to Yuna had he taken Suto by the collar, dragging him towards the door of the inn. "Hey...!" he shouted, flailing slightly against being manhandled. Realizing he was going whether he wanted to or not he smiled over at the girls, waving to them cheerfully. "Have fun you three! See ya later!"

Taken from the inn and out into the cool night air it looked like they were really going out to do their own thing. Suto stumbled slightly as he was released by Nero, standing upright and glancing down at himself, carefully straightening out his Gi top. "A 'Will you come with me?' would have worked just fine you know," he joked, glancing up at the other boy, his characteristic smirk back in place. "So, where did you plan on going? I'm just saying right now that I'm flat broke, save for maybe 150 Col. I can't buy a whole lot of anything right now." He was perfectly aware of course that Nero had more than enough cash on him to cover just about anything they might do for the evening. If it meant postponing going to bed and staying busy then all the better, Suto would bite his pride and let the boy pay. Certainly though he wasn't going to ask, though he'd jump at the offer. Raising his arms he then folded them behind his head, giving his body a stretch and faint groan along with it. "But, I'm up for anything. The night's young, and it's not like we've got a raid going on tomorrow. I say let's let loose and have some fun!"

Luna was having a fairly good time, allowing herself to play about perhaps more than she should. It was a birthday party after all, surely a situation like this was okay to throw some of her rules aside. As the evening progressed she naturally found herself being pulled more towards the girls of the group than the boys, preferring to be with her own sort. Her uncertainty around boys always made things difficult, and her often strict and commanding behavior certainly must make her a chore to be around. It was disappointing to see every male thus far shirk away from her, no one wanted to be with the feisty one. How silly of her to be thinking about this right now though, and selfish too. It was Yari's birthday, and it was only proper that she be the focal point of the evening. Pushing aside her own trivial concerns Luna smiled at the birthday girl as she proposed a night out, just for them. It was ambitious for her to suggest such a thing, but hopefully it'd help alleviate some of her somber thoughts. She didn't intend to do it right away however, but when people started to depart it looked as though that would be the case. She was disappointed that the boys had left so readily, thinking in her limited experience that friends shouldn't walk out on a party. Hardly understanding the nuances of such an event she kept quiet, offering simple goodbyes to those who left.

"Hm? Sorry?" Luna had been lost in thought when addressed, missing Yuna's question. Yari was kind enough to repeat it, and frankly she wasn't prepared to answer. It had been a comment made in passing, not even expecting to be heard. The other girls looked to be interested though, meaning now she had to actually come through with it. "Oh... Well let me think..." she replied, trailing off as she bit her lip. What was something they could do as a group? Another problem arose out of this, one again that made her a bit upset. She'd been pretty good friends with Yari since this game started, and yet she didn't quite know what friends really did together. They could go shopping... But then again what would they buy? There were no movie theaters in Aincrad, so a movie was out of the question as well. Those were the only two things she could think of, and only one was even viable. "What if we went shopping? You know... Dresses and stuff..." Luna suggested uncertainly, her cheeks flushing again. She wasn't very good at this, it was certainly more Yari's domain to socialize, or even Yuna's despite her shyness. Thinking about it for a moment she figured there was an ulterior motive to going out shopping as well. She could buy something to wear in town, something that perhaps might find her the attention of a certain man. "Unless there's something you two want to do? I'm afraid I don't really know what there is to do for fun around here."

Alphard and Kenshin stayed together for a long time, up on that moonlit bluff overlooking the sea. They spoke of their experiences since starting SAO; Alphard’s many hardships and the betrayals she had faced. They discussed- at length- Kenshin’s team, so that Alphard would know what to expect when she joined up. Finally, the two talked about how to introduce her to the team, and to have her formally request joining up. Kenshin decided that it would be best to wait till tomorrow, despite his excitement to be fighting alongside someone that he knew from back home-and someone he loved. After what seemed like an eternity, Alphard decided that she had to head back to the inn where she was residing. The young, aspiring lovers moved in for another embrace and each felt their hearts beating faster, until it seemed that they would burst from their respective chests. Kenshin rested the point of his chin on Alphard’s head and held her, swearing silently to himself that- now that he had been reunited with his friend- he would do everything in his power to protect her. Then, suddenly, the embrace was over and Alphard was walking away. Kenshin sat heavily back on the stone bench and stared stupidly into the distance, a dazed smile stuck on his face. So lost in the moment was Kenshin that the arrival of his friend Fitch went completely unnoticed until he sunk down into the seat beside the young lover, nearly scaring him out of his skin. He hid it well, though and merely shared the other’s company for a while.

Truth be told, Kenshin had to admit that he was rather surprised to see Fitch out by the seaside. He’d expected Fitch to be back inside the inn, hanging out with Yari on her big night. He’d noticed the ring on Yari’s finger and, though he still couldn’t give the complete rundown on items on sight, he figured it to be more of the marriage proposal type. Ever since meeting up with the others in this hellish ‘game’, Kenshin had figured there might be a special connection between Fitch and Luna, but now it seems that all of his suspicions were completely founded. Kenshin wondered how the team would fare with their two strongest members now being married. He assumed everything would be much the same, but really had no point of reference for matters such as these.

Kenshin was so caught up in his own thoughts that he almost didn’t hear Fitch ask his question: “So, who is she?” That question certainly required some thought as the woman in question actively defied definition. He let out a slight chuckle, “Damn Fitch, you sure know how to pick the hard questions. That was Alphard, my neighbor back in the real world. And also my best friend.” A furtive glance showed Fitch to be listening intently, a look on his face clearly waiting for Kenshin to continue. “Sweet Fancy Moses man, you’re just gonna sit right there until I spill my kriffin’ guts aren’t you? Fine. I was in love with the girl back home and was always too much of a coward to tell her. Now she’s here, trapped in this Tenth Circle with the rest of us. So I asked her if she wanted to join us. It’s a good investment,” he continued quickly, “she’s quite higher in level than the rest of us because she’s devoted all of her time to hunting all of the enemies on each floor into extinction.”

Kenshin’s voice took on a thoughtful and sad tone. “It’s not to make it safer for others either. She kills them for fun. For revenge. She’s all hate and anger right now with the only release being hacking her enemies into pieces. You gotta understand where she’s coming from, though. She came into the game late. After we all knew it was a trap. She told me she was sick on opening day, so she didn’t hear anything on the news. Her fever broke overnight and she decided to log in and play video games for a while. And she hopped into this place, not understanding what was going on. She spawned in the main square, Fitch. Right into that bloodbath. You remember it, I know I certainly do,” He shuddered silently, “She didn’t have the luxury of finding a team or a guild right off the bat, she had to forge her own path all alone. Now we’ve found each other, though, and I would give anything to protect her from harm- physical or emotional.” Kenshin stood suddenly. “I would DIE for her, Fitch.” A moment later, Kenshin shook his head. “No, that’s too easy here. No, I would kill for her! I would put myself through the pain and heartache of ending another human’s life if it would ease her suffering.” The man started, realizing what exactly he was doing and sat down sheepishly. “Yeah. Sorry. You know what I mean though, right Fitch?” he asked “You know, with you and Yari getting hitched and all. That was your ring on her finger, right?”

Far off in floor 21’s main town, Alphard lay in her rented bed in The Hunter’s Hearth. Her unique scythe, Grim’s Razor, lay against the wall. The woman watched shadow creep across the single-handed wire wrapped hilt as a cloud passed over the moon, and slowly let the cracks in her emotional armor show through. She was safe now. She would never have to worry about having to kill a fellow human posing as a friend to get near enough to rob or rape her ever again. She could show emotions other than rage. She finally could be human again.

When sleep finally took her and the moon once again glowed down from the heavens, its ethereal light reflected the shine of tears on her cheeks and snow-white hair.